四五快读学汉字 Ipad APP review

Parents who are working with their child on 四五快读 will be interested to know that there is actually a 四五快读 app in the store! There are a few series and each series consists of 10 lessons. The structure is similar to that of the books where in each lesson, the child will learn new words, followed by 词语 (with pictures to illustrate the words) and then sentences using the new words (i have not checked-too lazy, but the sentences are similar or even the same as the book).

What's interesting is that at the end of each lesson, there is a mini game to help the child revise the new words. In the first part of the game, the child is given 4 characters (think multiple choice) and he has to choose the word that the app calls out for. The second part of the game, the child has to choose the correct word to complete a 词语 or a phrase to complete a short sentence.

What i like about the app:

1) The mini game at the end of each lesson. I think it is another great way for the child to revise what he has learnt and it serves for me, the parent, as a way to counter check if he truly recognises the words and if he knows how to use them appropiately. It also saves me alot of time cracking my brain cells out on planning & making revison activities for the boy.

What i don't like about the app:

1) I don't like how the new words are being introduced. Instead of showing the full words (think flashcards), it shows how the word is written (each stroke is highlighted step by step) as it is being read out. I think it is very distracting and time consuming, denting the child's interest. Moreover, young kids are not necessary interested in knowing how the word is written.

2) The words are accompanied by Hanyu Pinyin. While it is a good way for the kid to pick Hanyu Pinyin but at this stage i would prefer otherwise. Sometimes i would get Sonshine to read the words out for me from the app but i do not know if he was getting help from the Hanyu Pinyin or if he truly recognises the word. I wish there is an option to turn it off.

3) The revision games are a tad too short. The very reason why i downloaded the app was for the revision exercises but the activities are insufficient- at least to me.

All in all, i think it is a good tool for parents to complement their 四五快读 lessons, although the words are exactly the same. But still, it is a, refreshing, attractive (to the kids) way to conduct your lessons. I think Sonshine enjoys this app simply because it is on the ipad and he naively thinks that all apps on the ipad are fun games. Oh well, whatever works for me!

ipad app review: The Going To Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

 

I adore Sandra Boynton books, she is probably my favourite children's author! I give a big F for her books- Funny and Fun to read. My favourite book of hers got to be 'The Going to Bed Book'. It's so cute! Her illustrations are appealing to both young and old.

Sandra Boynton fans will be thrilled to know that some of her books are available on the appstore. I downloaded this book and it didn't disappoint.

The book as an app, has the exact same content and illustrations as the physical one. What i adore about this app is that it's interactive. Readers get to ransack the characters' drawers, swipe the characters and watch them brush their teeth and, here's my favourite, switch on the hot water tap till your entire screen gets 'misty' with 'water droplets'. N loves to use his fingers and 'wipe' away the condensation. AWESOME! So real!

It is highly recommended to ALL of you out there, young & old. It doesn't matter if you love to read or not, a fan or no fan, this book is simply adorable! The book comes alive with the interactive animation and will surely capture hearts! Its a must to download for me!

ipad app review: Teach me First grade

My husband and i resisted purchasing the ipad for a year because we know very well what would happen if we had one in our house. Also, we didn't see the need to have one.

However, after i gave birth, i realised i really have no time to teach the boy. At the back of my mind, i wished i had an ipad so that i can download some educational app for him to practise play. At the same time, the hub made a causal comment that we'd soon need  a second laptop since the boy is quickly becoming a user as well. That's when we decided it was time to succumb to the evilness of all technology. Well, no regrets really.

One of the first app i downloaded was Teach me first grade. It's an educational app that teaches or rather test the kids on a sight words, maths and spelling. The child is given a set of questions on the above topics and each time he solves a set of questions, he gets a coin. With the accumulated coins, he can go 'shopping' and purchase an array of things like fish, fish food, stickers etc.

LIKES

What i like about this app is that the child is given a chance to 'write' his own answers. If he doesn't know how he can choose to trace the answers. For me, it's killing 2 birds with 1 stone. He can practise his maths AND handwriting (numbers AND letters). Besides, he can also learn how to spell (simple words). I like that it has a number of levels such that it automatically moves up to the next level as the child progresses.

DISLIKES

The app isn't very good at detecting the words 'written' by N. Many a times, it could not read what he has written. I mean, he's a kid, how perfect do you expect him to write his ABCs and 123s? The odd thing is, it immediately recognises the handwriting (however imperfect) if he traces the answers.

I would  recommend it to kids who are just starting to learn how to add and subtract. The good thing is it provides visual aids to help the child get the answer. So your kid doesn't need to know how to add mentally. It is also good for kids who are learning to write and spell words. There's also a lower grade app, Teach me Kindergarten which is exactly the same but the questions are simpler.